Senior Program Manager

Synergy; United States; Remote; USD 160,000 - 200,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

401(k) match

Paid holidays

Parental leave

Tuition reimbursement

Job summary

Synergy is seeking a Senior Program Manager with extensive DoD experience to organize, direct, and manage complex IT contracts and programs. You will lead cross-location contractor teams, coordinate with senior government stakeholders, and ensure deliverables meet technical and business requirements within budgets and schedules.

Ideal candidates have DoD project leadership, SAFe Agile delivery expertise, strong communication, and the ability to manage large teams and risks while maintaining high

Qualifications

• 5+ years DoD leadership or PM experience (highly preferred).
• 10+ years technical PM experience on IT services and large software projects.
• 3+ years program management across lifecycles; cross-functional leadership.
• Experience delivering IT services for federal agencies in DoD environments.
• SAFe Agile expertise and experience leading Agile teams with incremental results.
• Familiar with FAR compliance, contract execution, reporting requirements.
• Strong communication, negotiation, and stakeholder management.

Responsibilities

• Direct large-scale IT services and software projects with DoD standards.
• Develop and execute plans, cost-benefit analyses, risk assessments, milestones.
• Oversee full lifecycle from initiation to closure with PMOs and stakeholders.
• Coordinate cross-functional teams and optimize resources.
• Track progress using Jira/Confluence and report transparently to stakeholders.
• Serve as single point of contact for federal partners and leadership.
• Lead Agile delivery, backlog refinement, sprint/PI planning, testing, releases.
• Manage tickets, SLAs, and RCA; document resolutions and long-term fixes.
• Estimate costs, monitor spending, reconcile invoices, manage vendors.
• Balance priorities, scope changes, budgets, and negotiations.
• Facilitate user acceptance testing and ensure compliant delivery.

Skills

DoD leadership

Technical PM

Program management

SAFe Agile

Jira & Confluence

Federal contracting

Communication

Security clearances preferred

Education

Bachelor’s degree in CS/IT/Engineering

Tools

Jira

Confluence

Job description

Synergy Business Innovation & Solutions is a premier implementer of cutting-edge software solutions. Synergy brings the experience and expertise necessary to deliver capability that provides tangible ROI to our customers. Synergy’s core areas of expertise are in the fields of Digital Transformation, Cloud Solutions, SaaS and Low-Code/No-Code solutions, Emerging Technologies, Data analytics and Visualization, Information Assurance, and Business Process Re-Engineering.

Synergy offers its employees a generous portfolio of core and voluntary benefits including: group medical, dental, and vision insurance, company paid life, short-term, and long-term disability insurance; HSA, FSA; 401(k) with immediately vested company match; PTO/Sick Leave, 11 paid federal holidays, parental leave; tuition and training reimbursement; a referral bonus program; and life management programs.

At Synergy, you’ll be challenged and given the opportunity to grow in your career path. In fact, growth is such a big deal to us that you will have dedicated career coaches available for every employee, company-funded certification opportunities, education reimbursement, and a general open-door policy so that you have support when you need it. Our team is eager to learn, fast-paced, and quality-driven—if that sounds like you, Synergy has a position for you!

This position is designated as work-from-home but may be required to travel to customer meetings as needed.

Description:

Synergy seeks a highly qualified Senior Program Manager with extensive Department of Defense (DoD) experience to organize, direct, and manage all aspects of complex IT contract operational support. This role involves overseeing multiple interrelated projects, leading contractor teams across multiple locations, and serving as the single point of contact for senior government stakeholders. The Sr. Program Manager will provide strategic direction, ensure project deliverables meet technical and business requirements, and manage budgets, schedules, and risk mitigation while maintaining high-quality project outcomes.

The ideal candidate for this role will have a proven track record of managing complex projects within DoD environments, with expertise in federal contracting, SAFe Agile delivery, and technical project leadership. They will demonstrate exceptional communication and negotiation skills, balancing program delivery with stakeholder priorities. The ability to manage large project teams, mitigate risks effectively, and deliver high-quality outcomes will be essential for success in this role.

Essential Functions & Duties:

• Organize, direct, and manage large-scale IT services and software development projects, ensuring adherence to company, federal and DoD standards.
• Develop, gain approval for, and execute project and program plans, including cost-benefit analyses, risk assessments, and milestones.
• Oversee the full project lifecycle, from initiation and planning through execution, delivery, and closure.
• Work with integrated project teams, managing cross-functional integration, mitigating risks, and ensuring resource optimization.
• Track project progress using Atlassian tools such as Jira and Confluence and provide transparent reporting to internal and external stakeholders.
• Serve as the single point of contact for federal partners, customer leadership and all key stakeholders.
• Deliver concise program and project status briefings to leadership and other senior stakeholders.
• Lead Agile-based project management efforts, ensuring successful iterative delivery of backlog refinement, sprint and PI planning, development and testing, release management and quality assurance.
• Lead operational and support efforts, ensuring ticket response times are within SLAs, root causes are identified, short- and long-term resolutions are documented and executed, communications are timely and appropriate to the audience.
• Perform project cost estimation, monitor spending, reconcile invoices, and manage vendor relationships.
• Balance stakeholder priorities, scope changes, budget constraints, negotiating outcomes as needed.
• Enhance communication and reporting across all program levels with exemplary leadership and interpersonal skills.
• Facilitate user acceptance testing and ensure the successful delivery of products and services to company and federal standards.

Skills, Qualifications and Certifications of Best Candidates:

• 5+ years of experience working with the Department of Defense (DoD) in a leadership or project management capacity – HIGHLY preferred
• 10+ years of technical project management experience managing IT services and large software development projects - preferred
• 3+ years of program management experience leading cross-functional teams across all phases of project lifecycles - preferred
• Proven experience delivering IT services and projects for federal agencies, particularly within complex DoD environments.
• Expertise in SAFe Agile methodologies with experience leading Agile teams and delivering incremental results.
• Experience using tools like Atlassian Jira and Confluence for program and task tracking.
• Federal contracting experience, including familiarity with FAR compliance, contract execution, and reporting requirements.
• Strong analytical, problem-solving, and negotiation skills for balancing scope, resources, and conflicting priorities.
• Excellent oral and written communication skills for presenting project COAs, roadmaps, progress, risks, and successes to senior stakeholders.
• Experience with security clearances or classified project environments preferred.

Certifications Required:

• Project Management Professional (PMP) certification required.

Required Education & Experience:

• Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Cyber Security, Information Technology, Software Engineering, Information Systems, or Computer Engineering degree; or an Engineering degree from an accredited* institution. A required certification may be accepted in lieu of education requirement. *The U.S. Department of Education Database of Accredited Postsecondary Institutions and Programs located at https://amspub.abet.org/aps/name-search?searchType=institution identifies accredited postsecondary institutions and programs that are within the U.S. and its territories.

Required Certification:

• In accordance with DOD Cyber Workforce Qualifications Matrices Management, Security+ is required for candidates that do not possess a Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Cyber Security, Information Technology, Software Engineering, Information Systems, or Computer Engineering degree; or a degree in Engineering from an accredited* institution. The U.S. Department of Education Database of Accredited Postsecondary Institutions and Programs located at https://amspub.abet.org/aps/name-search?searchType=institution identifies accredited postsecondary institutions and programs that are within the U.S. and its territories. Certification must be obtained within six (6) months of hire. Certification must be obtained within 6 months of hire

Citizenship or Work Authorization required:

• Ability to attain Federal Government Position of Trust.
• Must be a U.S. citizen
• Must pass a background investigation.

Please note: Candidates will be subject to a government background investigation and must meet eligibility criteria for access to classified information. U.S. Citizenship is required.

Compensation for roles at Synergy varies depending on a wide variety of factors including but not limited to the requirements of the role; education and certifications; knowledge, training, skills and abilities; level of experience; geographic location; and alignment with market data, law, and other business and organizational needs. As required by local law, the posted pay range represents the lowest to the highest pay that Synergy believes in good faith it might pay for this particular job, depending on the circumstances. The disclosed range estimate has not been adjusted for the applicable geographic differential associated with the location at which the position may be filled. It is not typical for an individual to be hired at or near the top of the range for their role and compensation decisions are dependent on the facts and circumstances of each case.

A reasonable estimate of the current pay range is: $160,000 – $200,000.

Essential Job Function Physical Requirements:

The physical requirements of this position are critical in evaluating the qualifications and abilities of an applicant or employee. The physical efforts needed to perform the essential duties of this job 90% of the time are repetitive motions, grasping, holding, and finger dexterity of the hands, reading, writing, eye-hand coordination, color distinction, and full visual abilities, hearing, talking, sitting, and use of IT equipment, phones, and office machines.

To a reduced degree, <30% of the time, candidates may have to stand, walk, lift 0-30 pounds, push or pull objects, climb stairs, bend, squat, reach, drive a car, or work overtime.

Synergy is an equal opportunity employer, and does not discriminate against applicants for employment or its employees on the basis of age, race (including hair texture/style), creed, color, religion, religious creed, ancestry, national origin, ethnic origin, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, military or veteran status, sex, medical condition, pregnancy (childbirth, breastfeeding, and related medical conditions), physical or mental disability, personal appearance, organ donation and hair length associated with race, genetic information or characteristics, family responsibilities, familial status, marital status, citizenship or immigration status, status as a victim of domestic violence, a sexual offense, or stalking, political affiliation, arrest records and criminal convictions, credit information, matriculation, homeless status, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state and local law. Discrimination or harassment based upon these protected categories is expressly prohibited. This policy applies to all aspects of employment, including job selection, assignment, promotion, compensation, benefits, training, discipline and termination.

We may use artificial intelligence (AI) tools to support parts of the hiring process, such as reviewing applications, analyzing resumes, or assessing responses. These tools assist our recruitment team but do not replace human judgment. Final hiring decisions are ultimately made by humans. If you would like more information about how your data is processed, please contact us.